How to choose the perfect throw pillows

If you think about your interior design like an outfit, you can think about your big furniture pieces (like your sofa, bed, and arm chairs) as your most basic clothing items—your shirt, pants, and shoes. But if you stopped there, your outfit would look a little boring and incomplete. Where’s your belt, your briefcase or handbag, your jewelry or pocket square? In your home, the accessories that add an extra touch of personality take the form of vases, lamp shades, and—one of our favorites—throw pillows. Here are our tips for choosing the perfect throw pillows for your home:

First, think about the season.

It would be totally impractical to try and change out primary furniture pieces, such as your couch or recliner, every single season. Besides the expense of purchasing four or more of each of furniture item, you would also have to deal with storage and moving annoyances. However, it’s completely doable to switch up your throw pillows and other accessories each season!

As you start shopping for throw pillows, think about the pops of color which would coordinate well with your current decor scheme and the time of year. For example, this earthy brown Highboy Chesterfield Sofa would look great with cream colored pillows in the spring, and with deep pine green pillows in the winter.

One technique we also love is to keep “base” throw pillows year round which take on neutral colors, and then layer these with more seasonal pillows around your favorite holidays. For example, you could use solid grey throw pillows on your sofa all year, but pull out some pillows covered in deep orange pumpkins in October.

Next, mix it up with some complementary patterns—if you’re into that.

Here in the Bay Area, we love to let out our artistic and creative sides! Many Californians are still very much married to the bohemian, eclectic vibe in their homes where they mix and match different patterns. But it’s important to reign it in before the patterns take over or make you dizzy.

A good rule of thumb is to stick with a maximum of three throw pillow patterns per seating area, and to go with one solid colored pillow, one detailed pattern, and one simple pattern. The solid pillow provides a base line and a grounding point for the patterned throw pillows. The detailed pattern can be more intricate, such as the pattern in our Cecily Medallions Pouf. And the final pattern should be simpler so your eye can take it in easily, such as the pattern in our Bit Contemporary Pouf.

If you don’t love to incorporate a bunch of different patterns and prefer to only use solid colors, that’s fine too! We would recommend that you use a few different hues of your favorite color though, just to add some visual interest and depth to your interior design.

Choose throw pillow sizes which make sense for each furniture piece.

Are you accessorizing a large sectional like our Ollini L-Shaped Sectional? This seat will require larger throw pillows than a small Annette Accent Chair. And if you’re adding throw pillows to a bed, that’s a whole different story!

A good starting place is the standard square throw pillow size at 18 inches. This size looks great on your average sofa or twin sized bed. If you’re decorating a sectional or a king or queen sized bed, you may want to start larger at 22 or 24 inches. However, recliners or accent chairs generally look best with a smaller square throw pillow, or even a rectangular pillow with a height of 12 inches or less.

When you’re styling larger pieces of furniture, including couches, sectionals, and beds, you will probably want to use at least 4 throw pillows per furniture piece. The largest pillows should sit at the outer edges of the seat or bed, with pillows becoming smaller as you work your way in. For example, you could use two 24 inch throws at each end of your sofa with a 12 inch by 20 inch pillow in the center.

Don’t forget to consider your materials.

Although most DIY decorators know they need to choose colors carefully to keep a cohesive palette, few remember to think about the material of their throw pillows before making a purchase. We encourage you to think about the overall look you’re trying to achieve in the room you’re decorating. Are you trying to curate an over-the-top luxurious look? Silky and shiny pillows may work best for you. Are you trying to inspire a relaxing, spa-like feeling in your bedroom? You may prefer woven and cotton materials.

Even the material filling your throw pillows can help contribute to the look you want! Foam and other stiff materials will hold a better shape and feel more sturdy, but down and feathers will look and feel more upscale.

Ask for help when you need it!

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of decorating your home on your own, we would love to lend a hand. The Sofa Creations team can even help you design your own custom sofa or sectional right down to the last inch if you haven’t been able to find exactly what you’re looking for. Start browsing our online catalog today, or come visit us in San Francisco, Redwood City, or San Rafael.